It’s harder in the summer, as I’ve said before, to have good healthy protein around that this little guy will eat. Look him. Stubborn as a bull….

(Peachtree Road Race costumes in case anyone is wondering)

But, then we found this protein powder and oh my goodness…is it good! Think “Plain Chocolate” or “PC” if you’re familiar with The Varsity in Atlanta, or Nestle Chocolate Milk. I love that is has 20 grams of protein and 5 mg of iron. I wanted Tate to like it so I made it with only almond milk, about 2 tbsp of the protein powder and a couple of ice cubes the first few times we made it. Tate likes it with the ice not completely blended so he gets that “PC” feel. Lately we’ve been adding a handful or two of spinach (we blend that first with our high speed blender with about 1/4 cup water for about 45 seconds) and then add in the almond (original) milk and powder and you can’t tell a difference in taste but you sure can in energy (at least that’s what I tell him:) ). It’s not sweet enough for your kids, which it is actually really pretty sweet thanks to the stevia they use, but you could add in a couple of drops of your own 100% pure stevia. It is also great with some almond butter for extra good fat or protein or even 1/4 of an avocado. Have fun and be creative with your protein smoothie!

He REALLY does LOVE this stuff and so do I! I know it’s not “paleo” for the strict paleo following folks. I actually use this one that is “paleo-approved” and made with a grass-fed beef. I will be honest, mentally I had a little bit of a hard time with the thought of drinking beef, but I am able to digest it better than the pea protein powder and it tastes very similar. Just be sure to choose whichever protein powder that works/digests best with your body.

One other way my kids been getting in some extra protein (and fiber) is with these Tolerant Red Lentil Noodles. They aren’t my kids first choice for noodles but sometimes on a Friday or babysitter night we will give the kids some gluten Free Annie’s Mac and Cheese with our favorite Bell and Evans Gluten free nuggets. But sometimes during the week, I’ll ask the kids if they want some mac and cheese but I’m only making with the lentil noodles (and the Annie’s powdered cheese) and they are only so happy to have them that way. I love that they can have a gluten free, low glycemic, protein (21 grams per serving) and high fiber (13 grams) filled mac and cheese (not dairy-free). And it’s so easy for me to make, too!

Agggh, why don’t the words “cooking'” and “summer” go together lately?? I just can’t get motivated this time of year to cook. I. Need. Simple. And guess what, this meal is it. And, it’s kid-friendly. It’s like a burrito bowl but with way better ingredients, and it was so EASY to make…I’m talking summer easy.

All you need to do it make a whole chicken and by “making” a whole chicken (see here for directions), I just mean you need to stick it in the crock pot, add some spices, and let the cooker do the rest.

Once the chicken is done, shred it, and then place it in a large bowl along with about 1/3 cup of chicken stock from the crock pot (this will occur naturally without adding any liquids to your chicken). Then add about 1 tsp of garlic powder, 1 tsp onion powder, 1 tsp cumin, 1 tsp salt and pepper or to your taste preference. Then mix it with some rice, black beans or whatever you prefer. Then add your favorite toppings (we love Whole Foods pre-made pico de gallo) and you’re good to go!

The 4th of July is about traditions (at least for us: see old 4th of July traditions post)! And while for many of us, hot dogs and hamburgers go hand and hand with 4th of July, many people (who are gluten-free) may miss out on the buns because, let’s face it, most gluten-free buns aren’t very good. But with these amazing pigs in a blanket, you don’t have to miss out on the fun!! This is another of my favorite recipes from Super Paleo Snacks that we make often. They are so tasty, easy, and fun to make. Even better: they never disappoint company, even if your guests don’t tend to follow a paleo-type diet.

These Applegate Cocktail Pork Franks deliver a really solid pigs in a blanket flavor. Unfortunately, we can’t always find them at our local Whole Foods. So, many times we will use the Applegate Grass-fed Hotdogs (see here) cut in half, and they are also so good!

See, this dough is almost like real dough…and by real dough, I mean the gluten-filled stuff.

The kids love helping cut and wrap their pigs. Cutting your dough into triangles seems to be one of the easier and more efficient ways to wrap your pigs.

So enjoy your traditional 4th of July treats without having to sacrifice flavor, or how you feel later on. Have a fun and safe 4th everyone!!

Amanda Fraraccio -We love these!!! They are a go to for any party and we love them on movie night instead of pizza. I feel good about serving them because its one of the few items that both my girls enjoy, they feel they are getting a treat and I know they are getting good nutrients. Thanks for another great recipe Landria:)ReplyCancel

landriav -You are totally right. Sorry about that Noelle! I just added it to the recipe. Thanks for asking me!ReplyCancel

Colleen Goodwyn -So does that mean the coconut milk is not actually a part of this recipe? I am planning on making this for a party so I would like to know please.ReplyCancel

landriav -Sorry Im not sure I understand. Colleen. The coconut milk is added per the instructions at the bottom. Am I missing something? Sorry for any confusion.ReplyCancel

Heather -I LOVE your blog. Happened upon it a few years ago and many of your recipes have become family favorites. Thanks for sharing them! I just tried making this recipe and got really confused about steps 1-3 with the water and the butter. I ended up putting the butter on top of the batter pile and then pouring the boiling water on top to melt it. Everything got really wet and soupy and difficult to work with. Did I misinterpret the instructions?ReplyCancel

landriav -Hi thanks Heather!! Sorry the recipe was confusing. Sounds like you got it right though. I’ll mix the dry ingredients, add the butter, pour the hot water and mix all together. Maybe next time try to just melt the butter and then add that and the water? It is messy but still should have given you dough. Sometimes Ill have to add a little extra water but it definitely shouldn’t have been soupy. Sorry for any confusion.ReplyCancel

Baker -In the book, you don’t add butter to the dough, only to brush with. Which version is the right one?ReplyCancel

landriav -You can actually do either, Baker. I realized later (when I posted) that is was just better with butter, as is everything. 🙂ReplyCancel

Having company over for Memorial Day? Fresh out of the oven, these crispy buffalo wings are so good no one will even know they are gluten and dairy free and made without nasty inflammatory refined oils. This is one of our favorite party or holiday foods from Super Paleo Snacks. I hope you love them as much as we do. Have a fun and safe Memorial weekend everyone!

As we enter the final stretch of the school year, who has time to cook? With class activities, sports, clubs, and now swim team practice, cooking in the later afternoons/evenings just isn’t even an option. So to make things as easy as possible, I asked my husband grill ALL of this chicken (from Costco) this past weekend. It was a little over 4 lbs of chicken and now we have three meals, ready for go for the week. If grilling isn’t an option, you can also cut all of the meat into bite sized pieces, cooked it in some coconut oil and let it cook for about 20 minutes or until it was no longer pink in the middle. Then set it aside to make some of the following dishes in this post.

Scott put just salt and pepper on most of the chicken but did put some of his homemade rub on 2 pieces. So now we will have BBQ chicken with some veggies (made from some of our easiest veggies recipe post) and some Quinoa and Kale (see below) one night, warm Buffalo Chicken Slaw another night, and one of our favorite chicken salads, Curry Apple Chicken Salad. Done and done! And it only took me about an hour today to get it all ready. An hour’s worth of work for almost a week’s worth of meal is certainly a good trade off!

Oh, and speaking of Costco (it’s where we got the chicken above), while we were there the other day, Tate and I sampled this Quinoa and Kale, and we both LOVED it! Alice didn’t love it until I heated some up on the stove and added some good grass-fed butter. She the gobbled hers all up. What is also so great about this is you can add a good olive oil, some Tessemae’s, guacamole or even hot sauce (per Tate’s suggestion) and almost make a meal out of it.

Good luck moms and dads getting through these final weeks of school before summer break and be sure to enjoy them, too!